A dichotomy for minimal hypersurfaces in manifolds thick at infinity

Let $(M,g)$ be a complete $(n+1)$-dimensional Riemannian manifold with $2\leq n\leq 6$. Our main theorem generalizes the solution of S.-T. Yau's conjecture on the abundance of minimal surfaces and builds on a result of M. Gromov. Suppose that $(M,g)$ has bounded geometry, or more generally is thick at infinity. Then the following dichotomy holds for the space of closed hypersurfaces in $M$: either there are infinitely many saddle points of the $n$-volume functional, or there is none. Additionally, we give a new short proof of the existence of a finite volume minimal hypersurface in finite volume manifolds, we check Yau's conjecture for finite volume hyperbolic 3-manifolds and we extend the density result due to Irie-Marques-Neves when $(M,g)$ is shrinking to zero at infinity.